Holding, cooling and reheating: practice questions
32 questions on holding, cooling and reheating, each with the FDA Food Code section it comes from.
1. When thawing food under refrigeration, what is the maximum temperature the food must be maintained at?
Answer: 5°C (41°F) or less. The regulation sets the maximum temperature for refrigerated thawing at 5°C (41°F).
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.13: “Under refrigeration that maintains the FOOD temperature at 5oC (41oF) or less Pf;”
2. What is the maximum water temperature allowed when thawing food by completely submerging it under running water?
Answer: 21°C (70°F) or below. The code specifies that running water used for thawing must be at 21°C (70°F) or lower.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.13: “At a water temperature of 21oC (70oF) or below Pf,”
3. For how long may thawed portions of raw animal food requiring cooking remain above 5°C (41°F) when thawed under running water?
Answer: No more than 4 hours. The regulation limits the time raw animal food can be above 5°C (41°F) during running water thawing to a maximum of 4 hours.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.13: “For a period of time that does not allow thawed portions of a raw animal FOOD requiring cooking as specified under ¶ 3-401.11(A) or (B) to be above 5oC (41oF), for more than 4 hours including:”
4. What is the required cooling schedule for cooked time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food?
Answer: Cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, and to 41°F or less within a total of 6 hours. Cooked TCS foods must drop from 135°F to 70°F in the first two hours and reach 41°F or below by the six-hour mark.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.14: “Cooked time/temperature control for safety food shall be cooled: (1) Within 2 hours from 57ºC (135ºF) to 21ºC (70°F); P and (2) Within a total of 6 hours from 57ºC (135ºF) to 5ºC (41°F) or less.”
5. How must raw eggs be handled immediately upon receipt?
Answer: They must be placed in refrigerated equipment maintaining an ambient air temperature of 45°F or less. Unlike other foods that might have different cooling windows, raw eggs require immediate placement in equipment keeping the air temperature at 45°F or lower.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.14: “Raw EGGS shall be received as specified under ¶ 3-202.11(C) and immediately placed in refrigerated EQUIPMENT that maintains an ambient air temperature of 7oC (45oF) or less.”
6. What is the cooling requirement for TCS foods prepared from ingredients at ambient temperature, such as reconstituted foods or canned tuna?
Answer: Cool within 4 hours to 41°F or less. Foods made from ambient ingredients have a stricter single-step cooling rule, requiring them to reach 41°F within four hours.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.14: “TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD shall be cooled within 4 hours to 5oC (41oF) or less if prepared from ingredients at ambient temperature, such as reconstituted FOODS and canned tuna.”
7. When cooling food in a container placed in an ice water bath, what action should be taken to ensure effective cooling?
Answer: Stir the food in the container. Stirring helps distribute heat evenly and speeds up the cooling process when using an ice water bath.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.15: “Stirring the food in a container placed in an ice water bath;”
8. How should food containers be arranged inside cooling equipment to maximize efficiency?
Answer: Arranged to provide maximum heat transfer through the container walls. Proper arrangement ensures air can circulate around the containers, allowing heat to escape quickly through the walls.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.15: “Arranged in the EQUIPMENT to provide maximum heat transfer through the container walls;”
9. What is the correct way to cover food containers during the cooling period in cooling equipment?
Answer: Loosely cover, or leave uncovered if protected from overhead contamination. Loose covers or uncovered containers (if safe from drips) allow heat to escape from the surface, speeding up cooling.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.15: “Loosely covered, or uncovered if protected from overhead contamination as specified under Subparagraph 3-305.11(A)(2), during the cooling period to facilitate heat transfer from the surface of the FOOD.”
10. Which method is recommended for cooling large portions of food quickly?
Answer: Placing the food in shallow pans. Shallow pans increase the surface area exposed to air, allowing heat to escape faster than in deep containers.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.15: “Placing the food in shallow pans;”
11. What is the minimum hot holding temperature for most Time/Temperature Control for Safety foods?
Answer: 57°C (135°F). The standard requirement for hot holding is 57°C (135°F) or higher.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.16: “TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD shall be maintained: (1) At 57°C (135°F) or above”
12. Under what specific condition may a roast be held at 54°C (130°F) instead of the standard hot holding temperature?
Answer: If it was cooked to a specified temperature and time or reheated as specified. Roasts have a lower holding threshold only if they meet specific cooking or reheating criteria.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.16: “except that roasts cooked to a temperature and for a time specified in ¶ 3-401.11(B) or reheated as specified in ¶ 3403.11(E) may be held at a temperature of 54oC (130oF) or above”
13. What is the maximum ambient air temperature for storing eggs that have not been treated to destroy all viable Salmonellae?
Answer: 7°C (45°F). Untreated eggs require storage at 7°C (45°F) or below.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.16: “EGGS that have not been treated to destroy all viable Salmonellae shall be stored in refrigerated EQUIPMENT that maintains an ambient air temperature of 7°C (45°F) or less.”
14. What is the maximum temperature for cold holding Time/Temperature Control for Safety foods?
Answer: 5°C (41°F). Cold holding requires temperatures of 5°C (41°F) or lower.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.16: “(2) At 5°C (41°F) or less.”
15. When using time as a public health control for up to 4 hours, what is the maximum initial temperature allowed for ready-to-eat fruits or vegetables that become time/temperature control for safety foods upon cutting?
Answer: 21°C (70°F). Ready-to-eat cut fruits and vegetables are permitted to start at a warmer initial temperature of 21°C (70°F) compared to other foods.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.19: “The FOOD may have an initial temperature of 21°C (70°F) or less if; (a) It is a ready-to-eat fruit or vegetable that upon cutting is rendered a time/temperature control for safety food”
16. Under the 6-hour time-as-a-public-health-control method, what is the maximum temperature the food is allowed to reach during the holding period?
Answer: 21°C (70°F). Food held under the 6-hour rule must be monitored to ensure it does not rise above 21°C (70°F).
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.19: “the FOOD temperature may not exceed 21ºC (70ºF) within a maximum time period of 6 hours”
17. What action must be taken if food held under the 6-hour time-as-a-public-health-control method exceeds 21°C (70°F)?
Answer: It must be discarded. If the food temperature goes above the specified limit during the holding period, it must be thrown away.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.19: “Discarded if the temperature of the food exceeds 21°C (70°F)”
18. Which group of customers requires special consideration regarding the use of time as a public health control for raw eggs?
Answer: Highly susceptible populations. Establishments serving highly susceptible populations have stricter rules and cannot use time controls for raw eggs.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.19: “A FOOD ESTABLISHMENT that serves a HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATION may not use time as specified under ¶¶ (A), (B) or (C) of this section as the public health control for raw EGGS.”
19. A food handler is checking a container of ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food in a refrigerator. The food is within its safe temperature range, but the container has no date or day marked on it. What must the handler do?
Answer: Discard the food because the container does not bear a date or day. The code requires discarding ready-to-eat TCS food if the container lacks a required date or day label, regardless of the food's appearance or smell.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.18: “Is in a container or PACKAGE that does not bear a date or day;”
20. A container of ready-to-eat TCS food has a date label indicating it is safe to eat until tomorrow. However, the food has been held at a temperature and duration that exceeds the limits specified in ¶ 3-501.17(A). What should the handler do?
Answer: Discard the food because it exceeds the specified temperature and time combination. The food must be discarded if it exceeds the specific temperature and time limits, even if the date label suggests it is still within its shelf life.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.18: “Exceeds the temperature and time combination specified in ¶ 3501.17(A), except time that the product is frozen;”
21. When marking the date on a refrigerated, ready-to-eat TCS food prepared in a food establishment, how is the first day counted?
Answer: The day the food is prepared is counted as Day 1. The code states that the preparation day itself is the first day of the seven-day holding period.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.17: “The day of preparation shall be counted as Day 1.”
22. What is the maximum holding time for refrigerated, ready-to-eat TCS food prepared in a food establishment when held at 5°C (41°F) or less?
Answer: 7 days. The regulation sets a strict limit of seven days for the shelf life of these items under proper refrigeration.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.17: “refrigerated, READY-TO-EAT, TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD prepared and held in a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT for more than 24 hours shall be clearly marked to indicate the date or day by which the FOOD shall be consumed on the PREMISES, sold, or discarded when held at a temperature of 5ºC (41ºF) or less for a maximum of 7 days.”
23. If a refrigerated ready-to-eat ingredient is combined with other ingredients to make a salad, which date should be used for the final product?
Answer: The date of the ingredient with the earliest preparation date. The combined food must follow the expiration timeline of the oldest component used in the mixture.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.17: “shall retain the date marking of the earliestprepared or first-prepared ingredient.”
24. When a commercially packaged food is opened in a food establishment and held for more than 24 hours, what date serves as Day 1?
Answer: The date the original container is opened in the food establishment. For opened commercial packages, the clock starts ticking on the day the seal is broken at the establishment.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-501.17: “The day the original container is opened in the FOOD ESTABLISHMENT shall be counted as Day 1;”
25. When is a variance required for smoking food in a food establishment?
Answer: When smoking is used as a method of food preservation rather than flavor enhancement. The code specifies that a variance is needed when smoking serves as a preservation method, distinct from its use for flavor enhancement.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.11: “Smoking FOOD as a method of FOOD preservation rather than as a method of flavor enhancement”
26. Under what condition does using vinegar require a variance according to the Food Code?
Answer: When vinegar is used to render food so that it is not Time/Temperature Control for Safety food. A variance is required when additives like vinegar are used specifically to change the safety classification of the food regarding temperature control.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.11: “To render a FOOD so that it is not TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL OF SAFETY FOOD”
27. Which packaging method requires a variance unless specific bacterial controls are met?
Answer: Reduced Oxygen Packaging. Reduced Oxygen Packaging requires a variance unless specific controls for Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes are implemented.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.11: “Packaging TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD using a REDUCED OXYGEN PACKAGING method except where the growth of and toxin formation by Clostridium botulinum and the growth of Listeria monocytogenes are controlled as specified under § 3-502.12”
28. Which activity involving shellfish requires a variance?
Answer: Operating a molluscan shellfish life-support system display tank. The operation of a life-support system display tank for shellfish is listed as requiring a variance.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.11: “Operating a MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH life-support system display tank used to store or display shellfish that are offered for human consumption”
29. When labeling a reduced oxygen packaged food item on the principal display panel, what specific instruction must be included regarding storage temperature?
Answer: Maintain the FOOD at 5°C (41°F) or below. The code requires the label to instruct consumers to keep the food at 41°F or colder to ensure safety.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.12: “Maintain the FOOD at 5oC (41oF) or below”
30. What is the maximum refrigerated shelf life allowed for reduced oxygen packaged foods before they must be discarded?
Answer: 30 calendar days. The regulation sets a strict limit of 30 days for the shelf life of these packaged items to prevent bacterial growth.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.12: “Limits the refrigerated shelf life to no more than 30 calendar days from PACKAGING to consumption”
31. Which of the following criteria allows a reduced oxygen packaged food to be exempt from the requirement of being maintained at 5°C (41°F) or less?
Answer: Has an AW of 0.91 or less. Foods with low water activity (0.91 or less) are stable enough to not require strict cold holding temperatures under this specific packaging method.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.12: “Has an AW of 0.91 or less”
32. What is the required procedure for handling ready-to-eat foods during the reduced oxygen packaging operation?
Answer: Prohibit contacting ready-to-eat food with bare hands. Workers must use gloves or utensils when handling ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination from hands.
FDA Food Code 2022, § 3-502.12: “Prohibit contacting READY-TO-EAT FOOD with bare hands as specified under ¶ 3-301.11(B)”